Review Sections

Shift4 Payments Overview

Harbortouch’s Parent Company

Shift4 Payments is a merchant account provider that currently functions as the parent company of Harbortouch. Shift4 Payments was created in January 2018 when Lighthouse Network (Harbortouch’s former parent organization) acquired Shift4 Corporation, a payment gateway provider based in Nevada. In February, Shift4 Payments proceeded to acquire three POS providers focused on the hospitality industry called Restaurant Manager, POSitouch, and Future POS. It appears that all of these products will be absorbed into the Shift4 brand. In fact, it’s possible that Harbortouch itself could rebrand as Shift4 in the future.

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Shift4 Payments Rates, Fees, and Costs

Key Points

Swiped Rate

1.00% - 4.99%

Keyed-in Rate

1.00% - 4.99%

Early Termination Fee

$1,000+

Echo POS Monthly Fee

$39

Echo POS Annual Fee

$79

Elite POS Monthly Fee

$69

Elite Support Fee

$60 Per Quarter

Inactivity Fee

$75 Per Month

PCI Compliance Fee

$99 Per Year

Equipment Lease Terms

60 Month (locked)

Pricing Varies By Service

Shift4’s contract terms will depend on the product or service purchased. Any pre-existing Harbortouch product can be expected to receive Harbortouch’s established pricing. The company’s “Lighthouse Transaction Manager” gateway may come with its own pricing. Shift4 does not disclose this pricing on its website, and it’s possible that rates and fees may vary depending on the specific configuration of the gateway.

Harbortouch Pricing

The Harbortouch service agreement outlines a three-year agreement with automatic renewal for two-year terms unless canceled thirty days prior to the expiration of the initial term; an early termination fee equal to the number of remaining months in the Merchant Agreement multiplied by $35 plus the number of remaining months in the POS Service Agreement multiplied by the merchant’s monthly service fee; a quarterly $60 support fee for Elite POS users; an annual fee of $79 for Echo POS users; a $99 PCI Compliance Fee; and transaction fees according to a tiered or interchange-plus pricing schedule. Harbortouch will also charge merchants $75 per month if they stop using their Harbortouch system during the contract term. Harbortouch’s “Elite” POS system costs $69 per month, while its “Echo” POS system costs $39 per month.

Agents Can Alter Pricing

Although these are the company’s official terms, the company’s use of independent sales agents means that transaction rates and fees may vary from agent to agent. A representative of the company confirmed in the comment section of this review that any verbal guarantees made by sales agents will not overrule the language in the company’s contract, so merchants are advised to trust the documentation above an agent’s word. Multiple merchants have described a situation in which a sales agent verbally agreed to waive or alter certain fees and then failed to follow through on those changes. Alternatively, there are multiple claims that agents failed to disclose the contract length and early termination fee associated with the company’s POS agreement.

Not-So-Free Equipment

Harbortouch’s contract structure is unusual for the industry in the sense that the company does not specifically charge for the equipment that each merchant receives at the start of the contract. The company defends this practice as a long-term investment in the well-being of each merchant, but it also has the effect of locking merchants into a costly multi-year agreement, even if they decide to cancel service while under contract. Merchants will need to consider this lack of flexibility before they sign up for service through Harbortouch, as the initial savings may or may not be worth a long-term commitment.

High Termination Fees

The company’s peculiar POS service model has received both positive and negative reviews from merchants, but the negative reviews predictably cite very severe early termination fees. As a general rule, CPO advises merchants against long-term contracts with high early termination fees because these types of contracts limit a merchant’s choices. There are plenty of merchant account providers that offer month-to-month contracts, one-time equipment purchases, payment plans, or rental programs.

High Commitment and High Cost

Considering that Harbortouch’s approach to POS sales has received mixed reviews, coupled with the fact that it requires a long-term financial commitment from merchants, we have assigned it a “C” at this time. Shift4 Payments includes the entire Harbortouch family of products, so we see no reason to give Shift4 Payments a different rating at this time.

Response from Shift4 Payments

Are you a representative of Shift4 Payments? Add your voice to this section for free!

Shift4 Payments Complaints & Customer Reviews

Key Points

Total Online Complaints

10+

Live Customer Support

Yes

Most Common Complaint

Long-Term Contracts

New Name, Clean Record

We can locate more than 10 negative Shift4 Payments reviews at this time. Shift4 Payments is a relatively new organization, so it’s to be expected that there isn’t much positive or negative feedback about it on the usual forums. It is more useful at this time to consult merchant reviews of Shift4’s constituent companies.

Shift4 Corporation Complaints

Shift4 Corporation has a very low complaint total despite the fact that it has been active since 1994. This is common for payment gateway providers, as they typically do not receive the blame for issues with the merchant accounts that are linked to their product. Predictably, the few complaints that we have found about Shift4 Corporation mention minor technical issues and software glitches.

Harbortouch Complaints

Harbortouch, on the other hand, is showing a moderate-to-high number of online complaints for a company of its size, most of which cite deceptive sales tactics, equipment issues, exorbitant cancellation fees, or poor customer support. It appears that Harbortouch has paid Ripoff Report to be a part of that site’s corporate advocacy program, which allows Harbortouch to reach out to dissatisfied complainants. This program also allows Harbortouch to flood Ripoff Report with dozens of identical testimonials that obscure the details of merchant complaints. Researchers should note that the actual content of these Ripoff Report reviews can be found below each of Harbortouch’s testimonials.

False Review Allegations

A blog post on the Harbortouch website authored by the company’s CEO addresses the growing number of negative reviews that have been posted about Harbortouch. This post speculates that a significant number of negative Harbortouch merchant reviews are actually “from competitors that are unhappy with our free POS business model,” adding that “[i]t is not surprising that many of them would go online to write these anonymous and frankly false representations of our service. It is important to note that most of the complaints do not have any real contact information associated with them.” By our own independent assessment, the majority of public complaints filed against Harbortouch do indeed seem to come from actual merchants. It does not reflect positively on the company that its official stance appears to be dismissive of negative reviews in general.

Direct Harbortouch Replies

It should also be noted that two representatives of Harbortouch (including the company’s CEO) have directly addressed merchant complaints in the comment section of that company’s review. Both representatives disputed merchants’ claims regarding nondisclosure of contract terms, stating that the company’s cancellation policy is clearly disclosed by Harbortouch sales reps and documentation at multiple points during the signup process. These representatives also stated that the company’s large early termination fee is justified by the upfront expense associated with providing POS equipment to merchants.

Complaint Resolution Efforts

Harbortouch is currently an active participant in CPO’s complaint resolution program. This program enables merchant account providers to directly contact merchants who post negative comments beneath their review in an attempt to resolve their complaints. The company’s participation in this program is a positive indication that Harbortouch is interested in providing a satisfactory outcome for dissatisfied merchants.

Shift4 Payments Customer Support Options

Shift4 offers email and phone support on its website in addition to equipment and software manuals. Although Harbortouch is taking steps to improve its reputation among business owners, its complaint rate has been consistent since its last review. In addition, the content of these complaints has remained more or less unchanged. We do not have any reason to believe that this will change now that the company operates under the Shift4 Payments brand. Merchants who are concerned about quality customer support should consider working with a top-rated provider for great customer service.

Response from Shift4 Payments

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Shift4 Payments BBB Rating Summary

Key Points - BBB

Product & Service Complaints

67

Billing & Collection Complaints

45

Advertising & Sales Complaints

1

Guarantee & Warranty Complaints

0

Delivery Complaints

3

Note: We have adjusted this company’s BBB rating according to our own standards. To better understand why we adjust BBB ratings, please see our Rating Criteria.

Over 110 Complaints

The Better Business Bureau has changed Harbortouch’s name to Shift4 Payments, LLC and is using the same profile it previously used for Harbortouch. As a result, Shift 4 Payments has been an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau since 2013. As of this review, the company currently holds an “A+“ rating with the BBB and has had 116 complaints filed against it in the last 36 months. 67 of these complaints were related to product or service issues, 45 had to do with billing and collection, 1 was classified as an advertising issue, and 3 were delivery problems. Of the 115 total complaints, 23 were successfully resolved. The remaining 92 complaints either were resolved to the merchant’s dissatisfaction or did not receive a final response from the merchant.

What Merchants Say

Shift4 has also received 31 informal reviews to its BBB profile. 28 of the reviews are negative while only 3 are positive. One recent review describes customer service issues:

Stay away from this company lack of communication with there customers very poor customer service I had a problem with there system from day one equipment Not up to date no app to check system When they send you a replacement they will take the money out your back account with out notifying you

Response from Shift4 Payments

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Truth In Marketing & Advertising

Key Points

Employs Independent Resellers

Yes

Advertises Deceptive Rates

No

Discloses All Important Terms

No

Same Organization As Harbortouch

Shift4 is simply a combination of Harbortouch, Shift4 Corporation, and a few smaller POS companies. As a result, the sales experience for merchants who sell their products should be similar to the standard Harbortouch experience.

Independent Sales Team

Harbortouch hires independently contracted sales agents (ISAs) to resell its merchant account services. This is a standard practice within the industry that often results in unregulated or unsupervised agents reselling a provider’s services without effectively disclosing contract terms. On this website and elsewhere, reports are common of a Harbortouch sales representative promising to waive fees or provide month-to-month contracts only to fail to follow through, leaving the merchant on the hook for some unfavorable contract terms.

“Free” Equipment Promises

Online complaints seem to indicate that a common point of miscommunication has to do with Harbortouch’s heavily promoted deals for free equipment or a free POS system. Harbortouch likes to phrase its promotion so that the equipment itself is technically free, but it requires the merchant to sign an automatically renewing, three-year service commitment so that Harbortouch can recover its upfront costs. In this way, the merchant still has to pay for at least three years of access to the equipment, which to some merchants may seem indistinguishable from having a long-term equipment lease.

30-Day Trial Period

Some merchants also report that they agreed to receive free equipment or software but cancelled before receiving or implementing these services, only to be charged with a cancellation fee in the amount of the remaining cost of the multiyear contract. Merchants who cancel before the Install Date should only owe a $250 restocking fee. After the Install Date, Harbortouch offers a 30-day trial period. If merchants cancel after this 30-day period has concluded, then they will be responsible for the full cost of the service agreement, despite the claims of any sales agent. If merchants cancel within the trial period, they are still responsible for fees incurred during the trial period as well as the costs of shipping equipment back to Harbortouch.

Contract Survives Your Business

A smaller number of merchants claim that they were not made aware of the fact that they are responsible for the full cost of the service agreement regardless of whether or not their business closes permanently. It appears to be Harbortouch’s policy to enforce the terms of its agreement even in the event that a merchant goes out of business.

Continued Complaints Despite Training

A Harbortouch representative has stated on multiple occasions that the company offers rigorous agent training and has procedures in place to discipline ISOs that act unethically. The company also clearly discloses its service agreement terms in its paperwork and requires follow-up communication with merchants after they open an account. However, Harbortouch still routinely receives complaints that describe misrepresentation or nondisclosure by its independent sales agents. This indicates that despite the company’s admirable efforts, a significant number of merchants are still having a negative experience with Harbortouch’s sales team.

A Precautionary “C”

Shift4 Corporation enjoyed a very low complaint total before its acquisition by the Harbortouch team. It’s therefore possible that Shift4 Payments will adopt the practices that minimized complaints at Shift4 Corporation. However, Harbortouch’s management team is still at the helm. As a cautionary measure, we will therefore assign Shift4 Payments the average grade of “C” that we assign Harbortouch in this category. If you believe that you were deceived about the terms of your Shift4 Payments contract, you can find and eliminate hidden fees with a third-party statement audit.

Response from Shift4 Payments

Are you a representative of Shift4 Payments? Add your voice to this section for free!

Shift4 Payments Marketing Example

Our Opinion of Shift4 Payments

An Average Option for Most Businesses

Shift4 Payments receives the same rating as Harbortouch at this time for a few reasons. The company was created when Harbortouch’s ownership group acquired Shift4 Corporation, and that ownership group remains in charge of the organization. Shift4 sells Harbortouch’s entire lineup of products with no change to Harbortouch’s contract terms. Even the BBB considers Shift4 Payments to be Harbortouch’s new name at this time. We will be sure to monitor merchant feedback about this company to see if it differentiates itself from Harbortouch in any meaningful way, but for now merchants are likely to obtain a better deal from a top-rated payment processor.

About Phillip Parker

Thank you for reading my review. I hope that it has helped you with your research.

Why I'm Qualified to Write About Credit Card Processing

I'm a former credit card processing sales director who left the industry to start my own a small business. From the time that I starting working in the merchant services industry to when I left to write about it, I've been on the pulse of payments for nearly 15 years. It didn't seem fair to keep this insider knowledge to myself, so built this website to help small business owners research which service providers to use and how to save money on rates and fees. I've reviewed hundreds of companies, read thousands of user reviews, and learned the pricing tricks of every provider. If you have questions about credit card processing, you can find the answers here. I can help you save money with your current merchant account or help you find a new one. Message me here to get started.

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8ReviewsLeave Your Review for Shift4 Payments Below

We had our account compromised where are deposits are made. Harbortouch sent me paperwork to change my account info but they were also going to charge me for the account change. I talked to them about better pricing and not charging me for the routing number change. They were not helpful. I then changed to a new merchant and bank. It has now been a month and Shift4 and Harbortouch still has not released the $4000 they owe me.

This company force you to use your cell phone. I do not have a company cell phone, as I have no need for it, and I will not use my private cell phone for company work. I cannot do some items, because Shift 4 (I do not work for them) force me to use a cell phone. My job is not going to provide me a cell phone for ONE company! Shift 4 since you are having these demands, are you going to provide me a cell phone to work with YOUR product?

Avoid at all cost. Do not get roped in with their promises of super low processing fees. This processing company does not have consistent processing fees, the come up with new ways to add fees monthly. When you finally talk to the right customer service rep. they say they will remove some of the fees which you shouldnt have been charged but they never credit you. Terminating your account is an absolute nightmare and will cost an exuberant mount. Scam artist at their finest with this processing company

Shift4 is easily the slowest credit card reader on the market since the invention of the cc reader. If you would rather play with an Atari instead of a PS4, then by all means Shift4 is just for you. Average time per credit card transactions are 26-32 seconds. Most machines average 5-8 seconds so think about that if you work in high volume retail and how much production you will lose. I work with this junk equipment everyday and everyday I make less money because of this slow generic equipment. And feel free to check out their aweful BBB reviews from merchants about Shift4/Harbortouch. Trust me, you don’t want these machines anywhere near your business!

From what we’re seeing in the field, Positouch, FuturePOS, Restaurant Manager are telling merchants to either switch to Shift4 Payments or pay an additional $89.00 per month for using their provider of choice. They’re not correcting anything. I’ll get a correspondence between merchant and Shift4 Payments/Harbortouch

Please do not use profanity or ALL CAPITAL LETTERS in your review. Reviews must provide a detailed account of your experience. By submitting a review or comment to CPO, you are agreeing to our Comment Policy.

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About The Author

Phillip Parker is a former merchant services agent who now spends his time reviewing merchant account providers and writing articles about credit card processing to help small business owners find the right services for their needs.

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